Chapter 6: How to Learn More About a New Member

The next morning, we were packed up and readying to leave. I was sitting on the trunk of the Trans Am, flanked by Jet and Ghoul, watching Space Nuke say goodbye to his clan. He hugged both of the girls and bro-hugged the guys, lingering on the girl with the green mohawk, who looked him straight in the eye, as if telling him something important.

“Girlfriend, you think?” Jet said, watching them.

“Nah, he’d have his tongue in her mouth if it was like that.” I shook my head, leaning back on my elbows on the Trans Am.

“Really? Does our Terror have a thing for Space Nuke?” Jet glanced at me, grinning widely.

“If the wind changes, your face will stay like that, Jet.” I rolled my eyes. I looked over, hearing the crunch of gravel and seeing Party striding towards us.

“Ready to go?” He asked, rocking up on his toes. “Where’s Kobra?”

“He’s in the car. What’s your hurry, got a hot date?” I waggled my eyebrows and winked at him.

“Shut it.” Party made a face and headed towards the car. “Go get Space Nuke.”

“Fine, mom.” I stuck my tongue out, walking backwards. “You’re no fun.”

“On the contrary, I’m amazingly fun, when our whole organization isn’t about to turn into zombies, that is.” He rolled his eyes and got in the driver’s seat. I turned around and headed over to where Space Nuke was saying goodbye to his clan.

“It’s time to go, dude.” I offered a smile to him and his clan, who attempted halfhearted smiles in return, but were obviously going to miss him.

“Bye, Nuke.” The girl with the mohawk bit her lip, trying not to cry.

“For Pete’s sake, Cricket, I’ll be back in a few months, stop acting like I’m going to die.” He hugged her again. “I’ll see you soon, don’t worry.” He said softer, to his whole clan. The guys clapped him on the back, while the other girl hugged him again. He turned to me a few moments later, a nervous smile on my face. “Let’s go.”

“Alright. Bye, guys.” I waved to Space Nuke’s clan before turning and walking off, Space Nuke falling into step beside me.

“Hopefully Party already said goodbye to Sally so I don’t have to deal with her.” I said as we walked towards the Trans Am.

“What, you don’t like her?” Space Nuke questioned.

“I can’t stand people who fawn over the guys like they’re some type of gods.” I made a face. “I’ve even been used by people to get in with them. I think it’s disgusting.”

“Well, I can’t blame you.” Space Nuke replied.

“You’re in the back with Kobra and Jet, Space Nuke.” Ghoul called as we approached the Trans Am. “Terror, darling, you’re stuck on my lap.”

“What am I, five?” I grumbled, piling into the car on top of Ghoul.

“You’ll always be my little girl.” Ghoul mocked me, laughing. I elbowed him in the stomach, only causing him to laugh harder.

“And we’re off.” Party shifted the car into drive and sped off down Route Guano under the hot Californian sun.

Three days later, we were stopped for dinner as the sun began to sink beneath the horizon. I sat on the trunk of the Trans Am, having just downed my warmed mush-and-flatbread-type-stuff sandwich, staring at the reddish-orange sun sinking behind the excess radiation.

“Can I join you?” I looked up to see it had been Space Nuke whom I had heard approaching, carrying a newly-made mush sandwich.

“Go ahead.” I scooted over, making room for him to climb up. “Did you get sick of their bickering?” I jabbed a thumb to the guys, who were currently spitting insults and laughing at each other.

“They never stop.” His eyes widened at me in disbelief.

“They can go for days.” I chuckled. “It’s a combination of raw talent and years of experience.”

“How long have you been running with them?” Space Nuke looked at me curiously. “You seem to know them really well, yet you’re not on any wanted posters.”

“Well, I uh...” I leaned back on my elbows, chuckling nervously. I had no idea how to answer that question. “see, it’s like this. I was eight when the bombs hit, in town for a parade with my mother. I got separated from her, thrown into a school, actually, which saved my life. I never saw her or any of my other family again, just hiding and scavenging to survive. I got really good at picking locks and getting into small spaces, so I ate plenty, not enough to be healthy, but enough to keep living.

“They found me two years later, when I was about 10. I'd seen them get out of the Trans to chase some Drac or something and broke in, taking most of their food and all their fresh water and running back to my hiding spot. I fell asleep for the night and woke up the next morning to Ghoul standing over me, taking my food. I sliced his shin open with my knife to get him to drop the food before he could convince me to come with him. They did, eventually, and I rode with them for almost three years after that." I smiled.

"I would've stayed with them if it hadn't been for that last mission." I chewed my lip, remembering.

"What happened?" Space Nuke looked at me quizzically. "I mean, you don't have to tell me..."

"I don't mind. It's the past, I can't change it now. It really isn't my fault anyway." I shrugged, leaning forward to put my elbows on my knees. "We were on a mission in the biggest Drac outpost in the Zones, y'know, Building 473-2, to get some data on Killjoys in prisons awaiting 'rehabilitation.'"

"You went in The Beast?" His eyebrows went up.

“Don’t look at me like that.” I narrowed my eyes. “Anyway, the plan was for me to hack the control room while they kept the Dracs busy. I got into the room and was so focused on hacking it that I didn’t hear the Dracs behind me until it was too late. Two held me pinned to the wall while the other gave me this.” I moved my hair to point to the 4 ½-inch scar on my right cheek. “He was gonna slit my throat when Ghoul shot him down. I’d never seen him so angry at anyone, and those bastards certainly paid for it.” I glanced at Space Nuke. “No offense.”

“I’m not a Drac, I’m a Killjoy. It doesn’t offend me.” He nodded. “I was wondering what that was from, though.”

“Everyone does, but no one asks.” I pushed my hair out of my face. “It’d be better if they just asked instead of stared.”

“Yeah, I get that with my tattoo.” He rubbed it almost unconsciously. “You wouldn’t believe the things people say behind your back and even to your face thanks to markings.”

“Yeah.” I contemplated that for a moment before continuing. “The guys pretty much flipped unanimously. I was dumped off at Ma’s right after that.” I looked over my shoulder at the bickering men. “They visited a lot in the beginning, then less and less until they just stopped coming all together. I didn’t see them for two years until they turned up because of this tower thing and Ghoul almost tried to kill that kid...”

“I thought you were bluffing about that!” Space Nuke looked terrified.

“The kid tried to... ahem... y’know...”

“Yeah, I got it.” He stopped me.

“I took him down before anything happened. The guys heard me yelling and ran out to see what happened, which is when Ghoul flipped.” I chewed my lip.

“Do you do that a lot when you’re thinking?” Space Nuke asked out of nowhere.

“Do what?” I asked quickly.

“Chew your lip.” His eyes bored into mine. I looked away quickly, embarrassed he noticed.

“It’s just a gross little habit.” I suddenly found the ground extremely interesting. I hadn’t realized I’d been doing it again, and I was kinda shocked that he’d noticed.

“It’s kinda cute, actually.” He smiled at me.

“Warzone Wasp to the Fabulous Killjoys, over.” The radio buzzed from the car, causing me to jump. “It’s important, come in Fabulous Killjoys!”

“Hey guys, the radio, it’s important!” I yelled to the guys, jumping off the trunk. They all jumped up and ran over, Party, being faster, grabbing the radio to respond. “Fabulous Killjoys to...” He looked at me. I mouthed ‘Warzone Wasp.’

“Warzone Wasp.” Party released the button and we all waited to see what would happen.

“We have just uncovered detailed plans for something top secret and extremely dangerous. It might not be safe to discuss over the radio. How should we proceed, over?”

“Plans for what, over?” Party responded.

“A tower, over.” We all shared a look of terror for a moment before Party could figure out how to respond.

“Okay, listen to me very carefully, Wasp. Don’t show anyone, don’t do anything with it. We’ll be there as soon as we can.” The look on Party’s face was a mixture of fear, determination and nervousness, but he hid it well, like the leader he was.

“I haven’t actually seen them for myself, they’re on their way currently, over.” Wasp replied.

“Okay, tell me when I get there, it isn’t safe now.” Party had barely heard her. “We should be there by late tonight if we hurry, over.”

“We’re in a huge acid storm, we have been for two days, so it might get a little hairy, be careful.” The woman on the other end cautioned.

“Will do, over. Keep running.” Party ended the transmission. We shared a look of understanding before the guys rushed to put out the fire, carefully collect their extra food and pile into the Trans Am again.

I wiggled on Ghoul's lap, trying to get the least bit comfortable in the crowded space. "I'm really starting to hate this car."

Chapter 5: How to Add a New Member to Your Team

The next day we woke up early, stumbling down to breakfast before anyone else. We had to get out soon, considering we had a long drive ahead of us and the tower’s launch date was a mere two months away.

“Dude, gimme the can opener.” Ghoul slurred as we shoveled spoonfuls of dog food into open mouths. Due to the fact that raids nowadays were only for weapons because we were too nervous to eat the food prepared in BLI factories, considering of what it might contain, it was dog food for all as the main source of our nutrients. Dog food in soups, dog food in sandwiches, dog food baked into flour, water and some sort of substitute to make a pie-type thing. Eventually the mush becomes stomachable, but by no means good. I ate to live here, as the rest of the Killjoys did, considering the words “good” and “food” weren’t used in the same sentance unless it was, “this food is NOT good.”

“Anybody else find it funny that their dogs eat better than us?” Jet said musingly through a mouthful of mush.

“Technically, we’re eating the same as their dogs.” Party said, dejectedly staring at his half-empty can.

“Well they don’t blindly kill their dogs in the desert.” Kobra muttered, glaring at his food as though he could just shoot it and be done with it. He hated the dog food more than anybody, barely stomaching it to stay alive. That’s partially why he was so lanky and lean, taller and thinner than any of the other guys.

“Well eat up either way. If you down it faster, you can barely taste it.” Party scraped his can and stood up. "We’re leaving in 20, get going.”

20 minutes later, we were driving down Route Guano, me squished in the back of the old, familiar Trans Am between Ghoul and Jet, Party driving, as usual, and Kobra chilling in the front seat.

“This was a lot easier when you were 12.” Ghoul squirmed next to me.

“Well, you had to go giving skinny the front seat.” I elbowed him. “Now stop moving before I put my foot up your ass.”

“At least she didn’t get too much wider, just taller.” Jet said, chuckling.

“Well what do you expect, living in the Zones, I don’t get a buffet every night.” I rolled my eyes. “I may be lanky but I’m tough.”

“Oh yes, we all know.” Jet rolled his eyes.

“Personally, I blame Ghoul for that mouth.” Party looked in the rearview mirror at us.

“Personally, you can eat it, Party.” I cheerfully flipped him the bird. “If you wanted a say in how I turned out, maybe y’all should’ve stuck around.”

The oppressive silence after that comment was awkward for all of us. “C’mon, Terror, we have to do this now?” Ghoul said quietly, trying to defuse the situation, but I didn’t want to let it drop.

“No Ghoul, she’s right.” Party nodded. “We should’ve at least visited her. We just dumped her there, and it wasn’t right.” He looked at me in the rearview. He didn’t say he was sorry per say, but looking at him, I knew he was sorry, and I think he knew he was forgiven.

“Well, if we’re done with the lovefest, can you focus on driving now? You’re swerving and it’s giving me a headache.” Jet griped. The tension was dissolved as Party retorted some comment about Jet's hair and turned up the radio, everyone secretly relieved that we hadn’t hashed out our feelings in a confined space. Me, I was just glad to be back with the guys.

Three days and around 450 miles later, we pulled up to Suicide Sally’s prison complex gates in the middle of the day, Party merely having to flash his hair to gain entrance, the guards starstruck. Typical. We pulled up to the looming structures, the bars still on the windows and the air still feeling ominous. It was one of the only places not taken over or destroyed by BLI, as were most churches, hospitals and government offices, considering the structure was just too far away to deal with. We pulled into the parking lot and got out, stretching after the long drive. Suicide Sally quickly came out to fawn over the guys, as per usual whenever we went somewhere. This was the part I hated, the fussing and gushing over them. They put their pants on one leg at a time, they were just people. No one seemed to understand that.

“Oh, how’ve you been since we’ve last seen you, my little Terror?” She looked down at me adoringly, like I was some cute little charity case, as I zoned back into the conversation.

“Oh I’ve been fine, just chewing on my feet and playing with my Barney doll, how about you, eh?” I grinned as offensively as possible, poking fun at her old-Canadian accent. She smiled through tight lips as Party’s elbow caught me sharply in the shoulder. Ghoul, Jet and Kobra, however, were snickering behind me, barely able to hide it.

“Would you like to meet our friend Space Nuke now? He and his clan were just heading out for the day.” She said, the hatred radiating off her forced smile.

“We came here to meet him, now would be preferable.” Party nodded warmly, suddenly melting the ice queen. “We really appreciate this, you letting us in on such short notice.”

“Oh, well, whatever I can do to help...” She prattled on, leading us inside. Party looked over his shoulder to glare at us before following her inside, nodding to seem interested.

“That man has some serious skills.” Ghoul said as we followed at a safe distance. Party’s ability to convince stupid women of anything, despite not being particularly handsome or charming, had helped us out many a time. He had a certain aura about him, letting people fall under his spell quickly the second he turned on the charm. Luckily, it had never worked on me, leading me to have an excellent bullshit detector.

“Here’s where we all sleep, most clans taking one or two cells, depending.” Sally led us through the converted prison as though it was a summer camp. Cells with the doors flung open housed lots of mattresses, sleeping well over 200 people should you really wish it. Regardless of my personal feelings, I couldn’t help but admire the resourcefulness.

“This is our main floor, where everybody meets up to eat and such.” Sally shepherded us into a large main room, where a few late-starting clans were preparing to head out. “Here’s the California Bombing Squad, some of our more permanent residents.” She led us to a table containing six people, four guys and two girls, all preparing to head out, strapping up boots and talking. I recognized the back of Space Nuke’s head quickly, given the dreds. He turned around, his lopsided smile quickly disappearing as he recognized the guys.

“Can we help you?” One girl, seeing Space Nuke’s distress, stood up, looking at Party, her green mohawk swaying.

“Space Nuke, right?” Party smiled at him. “Would you mind talking to us in private, just for a few minutes?”

“I swear, I’ve changed.” The fear was apparent in the kid’s eyes, his hand reaching up to instinctively rub his tattoo. “I know what you’re thinking, I’ve heard the rumors-”

“Sally, what is going on here?” Mohawk girl looked to Sally, indignation in her eyes as Party tried to explain himself to Space Nuke, the scene escalating as everyone’s voices rose.

“Okay, that’s enough.” Party boomed, causing everyone to quiet and look to him. It was silent for a second before he spoke again. “It has to do with your past, friend, but I promise you’re not in any trouble. Just let us explain ourselves to you and we’ll see where it goes from there, okay?” Party looked honestly at Space Nuke as he wavered, deciding whether or not to trust Party.

“Okay.” He nodded warily, watching us.

“Sally, do you have somewhere we could talk in private?” Party turned to Sally, who nodded, giggling.

“Of course, I mean, anything for you four.” She batted her eyelashes and led us to a nearby office with a desk and enough chairs for only me, Space Nuke and Party. We sat across from Space Nuke, who still eyed us carefully.

“Thank you, Sally.” Party smiled at her, trying to get her to leave. Given she wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, she didn’t get it. “Could you give us a minute, please?”

“Of course, of course.” Sally sashayed away, grinning and closing the door behind her. Space Nuke squirmed under the glances of the five of us as Party took the papers from Ghoul, who’d kept them in a backpack he’d picked up from who-knows-where. Nuke’s hand anxiously tapped his thigh quickly, the nervousness showing on his face.

“I’m sorry we had to drag you away like that. I promise, you’re not in trouble or anything. Actually, we really need you. BLI is planning something big, and we need your help. Can we be sure you won’t share this information with anyone else, not even your clan?” Party’s face drained of charm, the seriousness of the situation showing on his face.

“Wait, I can’t tell my clan?” Nuke’s eyebrows furrowed, unsure.

“What I’m about to tell you is very sensitive and very, very dangerous. If you tell your clan, they could potentially go charging in to be heroes and aggravate the situation, not to mention get themselves killed. This is something they’d kill citizens over without a second thought, not to mention Killjoys, and I want to know right now if I can trust you.” Party stared at him, the intense vibes making even me edgy.

“You can trust me. I promise.” Space Nuke said quietly, his hand still going rapid-fire on his leg.

“All right then. Here’s what’s happening.” He spread the plans on the table and, piece by piece, ran down everything he knew about the tower, filling this kid in.

“So basically, they’re building a tower, and you want me to help you sneak into the headquarters and help shut this thing down with you guys.” He looked at us for confirmation.

“Not us. Her.” Party jerked a finger at me and suddenly, he was staring at me, those dark eyes seeming to stare into my soul.

“Her?” He seemed confused. “She’s so... tiny.”

“Hey-” I leaned forward, about to whip off some remark, when Party silenced me with a “Don’t say another word and fuck this up or I will kill you in your sleep” glare.

“She’s actually the best spy in our organization. She’s broken into hundreds of outposts, killed numerous Dracs and stolen vital information that’s kept us afloat. She could easily kill you now, if she wanted to, so I suggest you watch your comments about her when we’re not here to protect you.” Party said coolly.

“Great, her head’s not gonna fit out the door now.” I rolled my eyes at Ghoul’s remark from somewhere behind Party, which got a chuckle out of Space Nuke.

“He can laugh!” Jet chuckled.

“Only at my expense, it seems.” I sunk into my chair.

“What can I say, sugar, you’re fun to laugh at.” He smiled at me, not nearly as nervous now.

“I can yank those dreds right out of your head, smartass.” I glared at him. “And my friend Ghoul here will gladly do it himself if you call me sugar again. See, I’m like his kid,” I watched his eyes dart to Ghoul, “and he nearly killed a doofus yesterday who tried to kiss me.” I watched the smirk slide off his face, grinning triumphantly at Ghoul, who didn’t look all too happy at my victory. I turned back to Space Nuke, who was once again smiling that lopsided smile of his, unabashed at my threats.

“I’m going to have to watch my back around you, huh?” He smiled at me.

“So are you in then?” Party asked him.

“I’m in. I know that place like the back of my hand.” He said, still looking at me not as though he was checking me out, more as one would observe a friend. “I can help.”

“Great. We leave tomorrow. I suggest spending some time with your clan now, considering you won’t see them for quite some time after today.” Party stood, as did I and Space Nuke, extending his hand, which Space Nuke accepted. “Welcome to the team.”

Chapter 4: How to Get a Tattoo Early

I walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table as Party walked around the other side of said table, heading towards the coffee machine.

“Dude, it’s my place, let me.” I stood to go and make coffee for them, but Party waved me back down.

“Sit down, I know how to make coffee myself, thank you very much.” I rolled my eyes and sat down.

“Is he always this bad?” I looked over at Ghoul, who had just followed us into the kitchen.

“Yep!” He nodded, grinning cheerfully. “We call him the Car Nazi for a reason.”

“So here’s the deal;” Party sat down, handing Ghoul coffee, which he slurped appreciatively. Coffee was a luxury only the biggest outposts could afford, and it was usually guarded viciously, rarely brought out for consumption. “The first part of your team is in Zone 3, up at Suicide Sally’s. His name’s Space Nuke.” Party dropped the file in front of me. I flipped it open to see a kid, maybe 19, staring back at me, with long dreds and a lopsided smile.

“Okay, what’s his deal?” I tipped my chair backwards, my feet on the table.

“He used to be a Drac.”

“A what?!” My feet hit the ground with a thunk as Ghoul started choking on his coffee.

“You want to put her on a team with-”

“Shut up and let me explain, both of you.” Party said quietly as we both sat staring at him like fish gasping for water. “There’s a clan up at Lulu Laserbrain’s airport that can detox and turn Dracs back to normal. They spend three days with that clan, at which point they get the option to go back to Battery City or stay a Killjoy. That’s what they did with him. He was one of the few who decided to stay. He’s been living up at Suicidal Sally’s with his clan, the California Bombing Squad, for almost a year with no incident. He’s as safe as we are, and he knows Battery City inside and out. We need him.” Party tried to reassure Ghoul, who didn’t seem convinced.

“When are we picking him up?” I looked to Party.

“Well, we’re leaving tomorrow and taking Route Guano, so we should be there in three days.” Party nodded.

Ghoul wasn’t happy. “I don’t want-”

“Ghoul, I don’t care what you want right now, okay?” Party turned to Ghoul, exasperated, before looking at me. “Would you be okay with it?”

“Are you sure he’s safe?” I stared at him.

“Absolutely. Look, how about you decide when we get there and both of you,” Party’s eyes slid to Ghoul, “meet him.”

“Okay.” I nodded. “It’ll be interesting, to say the least. Does he still have his barcode?” I was referring to the barcode that all Dracs had tattooed onto their necks so they could be “scanned” to affirm where they were, like items in an old-fashioned grocery store.

“It’s part of his Killjoy tattoo.” Party took the file from me and rustled through some papers, pulling out a picture of it. The tattoo was awesome, the telltale barcode with a bright red X through it, surrounded by barbed wire with the words, “No more shall perish,” written in cursive at the top with his name underneath in graffiti. I passed it wordlessly to Ghoul to let him look.

“Speaking of tattoos,” I smiled cheekily at them, flipping my eyes back and forth between them. “You know who’s 16th birthday is next month?”

“Oh my God, my little Tear Gas is getting her tattoo.” Ghoul rubbed his hands over his face. “I never said you could grow up!” He moaned, his voice muffled. I was referring, of course, to the coming of age ritual every Killjoy teen got on their 16th birthday, their tattoo that identified them to every other Killjoy out there. On your birthday, you got your very own art anywhere you wanted, done by Neon Zombie, the best (and only) tattoo artist in the Zones, almost like, “Hey, you made it this long, we should probably throw you a bone.” Any kids that didn’t survive to their 16th birthday would get a tattoo, regardless of age, on the back of their hand, a little green ghost with a black X in the background, the international sign for ghosted. I’d only been to a few funerals of that kind, but they were always the worst.

“Hey Party...” I looked over at him. “I was wondering, could you help me design it?” He'd been a cartoonist back in the day, and was just what I needed for what I wanted to get.

“I’d love to, kiddo.” He smiled at me. “We might have to track down Neon before your actual birthday though, considering this whole thing.” He motioned to the air, as if he could stop BLI with some waving.

“Oh darn, how would I ever survive that?” I rolled my eyes and shuffled through some more papers, trying to take in as much info on this stupid thing as possible. It was ending now, and I’d be damned if some stupid tower was standing in the way of my tattoo.

Chapter 3: How to Keep an Enraged Father-Figure at Bay

Once I was done with Party, I dragged Jet and Kobra out to see my new car. Ghoul had stayed behind to talk to Party, just like he'd promised. We neared the end of the warehouse to see the Mustang, dusty, but still beautiful, where I’d parked her the day before.

“Wo-ow, haven’t seen one of these in literally a lifetime.” Jet looked at her appreciatively. “How, exactly, did you get this car again?” He asked bemusedly, one eyebrow raised.

“Well, I uh...” I stammered, at a loss for words.

“All right, I’ve got an idea.” Jet rolled his eyes and walked around the car, checking out the interior.

“Nice, ain’t she?” I grinned at Kobra. He nodded, smiling shyly.

“I’ve got to paint over that soon, though...” I examined the smiling logo  chuckling with Kobra before turning around and leaning on the car door. “You wouldn’t believe where the keys were.”

“In the visor?! Seriously?!” Kobra burst out laughing, as did I.

“One of the many things I’ve learned from Terminator 2.” I nodded, calming myself down.

“Oh man, I remember watching that with you! How old were you, 11 maybe?” Kobra grinned at me, seeming much more comfortable than before.

“So, how have y’all been, anyway?” I threw a glance over my shoulder to Jet, who was looking under the hood.

“It’s been pretty bad lately, especially around the inner Zones.” Jet stood, shutting the hood and walking over to where we were standing. "We think it's because of that, ahem, thing we were telling you about. They're turning up the heat to throw us off."

"Well, be careful, alright?" I chewed my lip, concerned. "You wouldn't believe who's been getting ghosted these days.”

"Who?" Jet's eyebrows knitted.

"You remember the Kung Fu Krew? It was that doofus Bird Song's Clan." Jet and Kobra nodded.

"Not my favorite clan, but whatever." Jet shrugged.

"They all got dusted out in the same battle somewhere out in Zone 4. His girlfriend, what's her name, Solar Crash, I think, she's just about lost her mind. He'd made he stay behind with her real clan. I heard he had something on the side with some girl in his clan, and that's why." I shrugged. "Either  way, they're all dusted out. Nobody even knows where they're buried."

"Damnit, the oldest wasn't more than 19." Jet paced, angry, before spinning and facing us. "How can they just kill kids like that? KIDS!" He sat on the hood of the car and smoothed the lines in his forehead.

"Hey man, watch the paint." I made a face at him, to which he responded with a prominently raised middle finger.

"Oh shove it, Jet." I rolled his eyes. "Always so dramatic."

"Um, guys? Get over here!" Party called from the kitchen doorway.

"Well, duty calls." Kobra slapped his hands on Jet's shoulders. "See ya later, Terror."

"Bye Kobe." I nodded. "And just turn that frown upside down, Jet!" I called after them, chuckling. I stood up off the car and wiped my hands, seeing just how gross they were. My baby needed a bath, and she needed it bad.

In the spirit of boredom, I went on a makeshift scavenger hunt, finding water too acidic to drink, some ancient soap and an old rag before proceeding to clean her off. Before I started, I stripped off my jacket, shoes and t-shirt, wanting to keep them dry and not really caring, considering mos others were out Drac hunting and this part of the warehouse was rarely visited anyway. I was just finishing cleaning off the last of the soap when I heard a voice behind me.

"Having fun, Terror?" I jumped about a mile in the air, turning to see Pathogen Pollution, a lone Zone runner we'd picked up about a week ago. His whole clan had been dusted out three days before, and all he could do was wander, dehydrated and out of his mind wih grief. He couldn't even tell us his name when we found him. Luckily, he'd made a recovery and was getting more stable, although Ma still would't let him go Drac hunting.

"Dude, don't sneak up on me like that." I turned around, leaning against the car.

"Sorry, I just heard someone down here and wondered what was up." I was suddenly painfully aware of my partially naked form, considering I was standing there in merely my bra and jeans, and I was wet from washing the car. Po's eye's roamed my body, causing me to quickly cross my arms over my chest.

"Y'know, Terror, you're really beautiful." Po said quietly. "Like most girls just don't have the same hair, or the same body." Po stepped towards me, a strange look in his eyes. "You were the only one who visited me when I was sick. You're not like them."

"Po, what are you doing?" My eyes widened as he put his hands on my hips. I shoved them off. "Look man, you're not feeling okay..."

He replaced his hands, making me nervous. I tried to shove him off, but he pressed me up against the car. "I love you." His mouth collided with mine, his tongue going straight into my mouth. I beat his chest and tried to scream, but he held me down, giving me nowhere to go. He pulled back to let his hands travel upwards towards my bra clasp, giving me oppourtunity to bring my knee up where the sun don't shine, screaming all the while. Po doubled over, letting me bring an elbow down on the back of his neck. I heard noise as he fell and felt myself being pulled backwards into Party's protective hug, the guys having run out when they heard the ruckus.

"Did this fucker hurt you?! Huh?!" Jet and Kobra were having a hard time holding Ghoul back as he lunged towards the injured Po. I burrowed into Party's hug as he shielded me from the escalating scene.

"What happened, sweetheart?" Party asked me as I stood there, quivering and wet.

"I was washing down the car and he just came out of nowhere." I stammered, shocked. "He pressed me up against the car and kissed me-"

"I'm gonna kill you!!" Ghoul lunged with renewed vigor.

"Okay, let's all just calm the fuck down, alright?!" Party demanded, causing Ghoul to relax some. "Somebody toss me her shirt." Jet snatched it off the nearby picnic table I'd left it on and tossed it to me. I shakily put it on, still nervous and shaken.

"What happened, you scumbag?" Party glared at Po.

"She loves me and she knows it!" Po yelled, pointing at me. "She nursed me when I was sick, every day she visited me. Every day she looks at me and sends me messages with her eyes." He stared longingly at me.

"What, my knee in your groin wasn't enough of a 'fuck off' signal?" I glared at him, horrified but coming out of the shock.

"You just didn't want them to see us together." Po answered promptly. Jet and Kobra let go of Ghoul and walked forward, picking Po up by his arms and leading him away.

"Come on, creep, let's go see what Ma want's to do with you." Jet said, hauling Po to his feet.

"No! You love me, Terror! We're meant to be!" He screamed as Jet and Kobra dragged him out of sight.

"Are you okay? Did he touch you anywhere else? Did he hurt you?" Ghoul took my shoulders, his eyes a mix if rage and concern. "I swear, if that little creep so much as breathes on you the wrong way again-"

"Ghoul!" I stopped him. "I'm fine, okay?" I said softly, still a little freaked out.

"Are you sure?" He looked at me, concerned.

"Yeah." I nodded, my eyes narrowing. "I never saw it coming, y'know?"

"What a fucking creep. I swear to God, I'll kill him-"

"Please don't." I hugged him. "Just let this go. I can take care of myself." Ghoul didn't reply, merely hugged me back.

"I don't want her here with that bastard." Ghoul shifted me to his side, keeping one arm around me protectively. "She wants to come with us anyway. Let's take her with on this next run."

"Can we talk about this later, Ghoul?" Party tried to say before Ghoul cut him off.

"There's nothing to talk about. Either she comes or I stay back. Take your pick." Ghoul raised his chin defiantly. They stared at each other for a few moments in a silent standoff, eyes locked, before Party sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"She's your fault, that I'm-not-taking-orders streak." Party pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index fingers. "Do either of you realize what we're risking here? She's one of our biggest assets."

"That's the problem, I don't want him touching her assets and he's fucking crazy." I snorted at Ghoul's overbearing instincts.

"Here, I'll make you a deal;" Party looked at me. "you can ride with us IF you take a team in with you to do the job."

"Oh come on, you already said I could go in by myself!" I whined, but Party merely held up a hand.

"That's the deal, take it or leave it." He nodded. "Are you coming or what?"

I looked from Ghoul to Party carefully, trying to find a way out of this. "But-"

"No 'buts.'" Party cut me off. "That's the deal."

"You know I can't turn that down." I glared at him. "Fine." Ghoul's face broke into a grin as he and Party looked at each other mischievously.

"You guys suck. Way to jeopardize the mission." I shook Ghoul off me, irritated.

"Come on, whiny, we got some details on the tower we need to go over." Ghoul propelled me by the shoulders to the kitchen.

"Kiss my ass." I chuckled as I followed Party into the kitchen, just happy to be with the guys again.

Chapter 2: A Mission From Hell

“Rise and shine, little sister!” I was awake in an instant when someone kicked my mattress. As I blinked in the morning light and let my brain process, I knew who it was immediately.

“Fuck off, Speedy. I said from under the covers, my voice muffled as I pulled the blanket back over my head.

“Uh uh uh, sister, you’ve got a mission to attend to.” I could hear the mocking grin in Speedy's voice.

“The mission can wait, I was out all last night on their Goddamned missions...” I tried to ignore Speedy until he ripped my threadbare quilts off of me, exposing me to the light.

“Look alive, Princess.” He grinned at me mockingly as I glowered up at him, the sun burning my eyes.

“Call me Princess one more time. I dare you.” I growled.

“Well isn’t someone touchy this morning.” He snickered. I narrowed my eyes and waited for him to realize he was in trouble. His eyes widened once he felt the waves of anger rolling off me and tried to bolt, but I was too fast for him. I flew at him, tackling him to the ground and wrestling with him, eventually gaining the upper hand even though he had a taller reach. I  perched on his back, putting his arm into a kimura hold, about to force him to tap out, when a voice rang out across the warehouse.

"Tear Gas Terror, git off him right now!" I was ripped backwards by my collar and dropped on the floor, leaving me to stare up at the large black lady who was glowering down at me furiously. "An' don't you even THINK about sneaking off, Mr. Suicidal Speed Demon." I looked over and winced as Speedy stopped in his tracks and turned back slowly to face the towering wall of formidable flesh that was Ma.

She didn’t have a fun Killjoy name; she didn’t need one. Everyone in the Zones, including me, Speedy, and even the Big 4 themselves knew (and feared) Ma. She ran the largest Killjoy outpost in all of the Zones besides Dr. Death-Defying’s in Zone 6. Enough Killjoys went in and out of her place a day to number in the hundreds, staying long enough to refuel and get a decent meal and then jet off to save the world some more.

“Just what in the Good Lord’s name do you think you two were doin’?” Ma’s hands went to her hips. I cringed. We were in for it now.

“I would whoop you myself, Tear Gas, but right now, there’s four Fabulous Killjoys in my kitchen waitin’ for you, so I suggest you git downstairs and quit makin’ them wait.” Ma glared at me, but allowed me to grab my shoes and jacket before sneaking past her and heading for the makeshift kitchen on the first floor. Our outpost was an old abandoned air force storage unit, far enough out of Battery City for the Dracs to disregard it and close enough for me to get into the City regularly. I slept on the second floor ovehang, along with Speedy and any other Killjoys passing through. We had about 50 mattresses up there, allowing the place to accommodate plenty of Killjoys. I flew over and around the mattresses, everyone except a few already downstairs. I hurried down the fire escape that connected the first and second floors and walked briskly past the rows of picnic tables containing a bunch of Killjoys. I waved to those I knew but kept walking, moving past them hurriedly. I was lucky I’d slept in my clothes, or else I’d be sunk. The Big 4 did not like to be kept waiting, and if they were here in person, this must be a huge assignment. Meaning I was in for it from them too.

“Where the Hell is she?” I heard Party Poison’s voice just before I hung a right and skidded into the kitchen. I slowed down and waited a moment to catch my breath, partially because I wanted to seem somewhat less of a doofus to the Big 4 than I currently seemed and partially because I wanted to hear what they had to say. Hey, I’m a perpetual sneak, it doesn’t just go away!

“Leave the kid alone, Party, she was up all night getting shot at on a mission you sent her on. She’s 15, she needs sleep even more than we do.” I grinned at Jet Star’s defense of me and skidded into the kitchen like I’d just ran in.

“Sorry, I had to-”I was cut off by a huge hug from Fun Ghoul.He’d shaved his long, nearly-black, chin-length locks off, leaving him with a fuzzy head. His face was dirt-smudged and

“Nice of you to join us." He ruffled my hair as I batted his hand away.

“Come on now Ghoul, leave her alone.” Jet Star engulfed me in a hug. “How ya been, kiddo?”

"Y'know, just getting shot at outside various BLI outposts, the usual.” I smiled back as he released me. “I’m sure y’all don’t remember such a thing, considering you have me doing all your dirty work. And Ghoul's just jealous because I'm taller than him now." I grinned triumphantly at Ghoul’s offended expression

“Hey, Terror.” Kobra Kid hugged me awkwardly at first, as if I was suddenly a foreign creature to him, being almost two years older than when they all saw me last. Eventually he hugged me tightly, however, remembering the old days just as I was.

“Yes, Kobra, it's still me, I'm just taller." I grinned cheekily at his discomfort. Kobra was usually somewhat quiet and awkward, so I was used to it.

“Hi.” Party Poison stood and smiled wearily at me. Being leader of the Killjoys had obviously worn him down significantly. His red hair was grown out, calling to be redyed, and lines were worn into his face, making him seem older than his 35 years.

“Hi, Party.” I hugged him, breathing the mixed scent of BO, gasoline and a faint bit of explosives. We pulled back as I looked at him. “What were you blowing up around two days ago? BLI outpost or destroying evidence?”

The whole group chuckled. Party ran a hand through his bright, dyed-red hair. "Terror, I've never figured out how you could do that. I’ve missed you, kiddo.” He grinned at me as we all sat around the kitchen table.

“Then let me come with you again, like the old days. We all loved it, and it would make my missions so much easier.”  I pleaded with them, chewing my lip. “I’ve been stuck here ‘fighting the good fight’ for two whole fucking years, I think it’s about time you let me ride with y’all again!” I was slipping back into my old accent, the one that made me so easily identified and the one I worked so hard to hide.

“You know we can’t do that, sunshine.” Party looked at me seriously. I jumped out of my seat, knocking the mismatched chair backwards with a loud smack.

“Why the fuck not, huh? It’s not like I'm baggage anymore!" Party stood up angrily. "I'm the best fighter you have, the best spy, the best shot with any raygun you got, the best hacker this side of the BC, the best lockpick! I'm not a little kid anymore, Party, and I'm getting awfully sick of you using me for your stupid missions and then ignoring me for the next two years. I'm not your fucking robot, and I will not work for someone just as bad as BLI." With that parting shot, I banged open the side door and stormed out of the kitchen, into the harsh desert sunlight. I paced back and forth a few steps before whirling around and throwing my fist into the steel exterior of the warehouse. My knuckles radiated pain as I screamed obscenities and sunk to the hard-packed, sunbaked sand, my head rolling back to lean against the warehouse my back was pressed up to. I was awfully good at royally fucking up.

"Are you done?" My head whipped towards the sound of the voice. Ghoul stood in front of the door, an old first-aid kit in one hand and an ice pack in the other. Both things were exceedingly rare, leaving us to be one of the only outposts that had some. I glared at Ghoul as he walked towards me, gingerly taking my injured hand and cleaning it with a wet washcloth he produced from somewhere.

"Do you remember, back when you were 10 years old, that time  you got so mad at Party for making you stay in the car you hotwired the Trans Am and drove off?" Ghoul chuckled, cleaning the thick dirt from my hand. "We ran back to the car after blowing up some headquarters or something with 20 Dracs on our ass and went, 'Fuck, they jacked the Trans and took Terror!' We were all so fucking freaked until you just drove up casually, the car doors locked, cracked the window and said, 'Can I come with you next time?' You made Party pinkie swear before you let us in."

I chuckled in spite of myself. I remembered pieces of that day vaguely, like having to stretch to reach the pedals and being afraid they were gonna leave me, like everyone else had. That, and the absolute fury on Party’s face. Hilarious.

"This is gonna hurt." Ghoul cautioned as he soaked the rag with antiseptic and pressed it gently to me battered knuckles. I inhaled sharply as he dabbed gently at the wounds, tears coming to my eyes. I was tougher than that, though, and kept myself from crying out through sheer willpower.

"Okay, let's wrap you up." He took the rag off my now-clean hand and pulled out an often-washed bandage, tightly wrapping my hand. “You know he loves you, Terror, we all do. Hell, I'm the one that found you, for Pete's sake. But you don't get how bad it is out there. We have targets painted on our backs, and to risk you out there, our best spy, but more importantly, our little sister, well, we just couldn't."

"That's bullshit, Ghoul, and you know it." I turned angrily. "I'm better trained than most of your Clan leaders, and know twice as much. You've been trying to get rid of me since you first laid eyes on me, and that I can get over, but when you claim to be doing it for my protection, just to make it easier a pill for all of you to swallow, well, that's fucking two-faced. At least be honest with me, dammit!" I turned started to stand but flexed my injured knuckles in the process, causing me to scream in pain and flop back onto my butt. I turned away, my eyes welling up. I'd got my name partially because of my wild temper, but partially because of my body's need to cry whenever I get angry. My eyes well up and I can't control it to save my life.

"Terror, what the fuck is wrong with you? For such a smart girl you're being fucking stupid. Of course we love you! Me especially!" Ghoul tried to convince me.

"Then why has it been two whole years since I've seen you last, huh?" I whirled around to face him, my eyes swelling. "And don't you dare say the Rebellion's keeping you away, because I keep hearing about all the trips you've made up here." I glared menacingly.

Ghoul was silent. His face went from confusion shock to realization as he realized just how this looked to me. Running a hand over his now-short hair, he stared at the ground.

"Jeez, Terror. I never realized..." He looked up at me mournfully.

“Yeah, well... You guys are still my family. Ma’s nice, and Speedy’s my best friend, but... it’s not the same. You wouldn’t believe the whispers and stares I get all the time from those who don’t know me, purely from running with you. And the worst part is, I know I don’t belong here. They’re not my family.” I exhaled, looking away. “My family dumped me here to be someone else’s problem.”

“You’re not a problem, Terror. You’re never been a problem. We do still love you.”

“Funny way to show it.”

“You’re making me feel like a terrible person, Olivia.” He said, his voice full of pain. Once he real-names me, I always give in and he knew it. I scooted over to him, allowing him to wrap his arms around me, just like he had when I was little. I snuggled into the familiar scent of my childhood; motor oil, explosives, and BO.

“You need to take a shower, Ghoul.” I wrinkled my nose.

“You need to forgive us, go back in there and get your assignment.” He rested his chin on top of my head. I knew before the war that Ghoul had had twin daughters and a wife. They’d died in the early bombings while he’d been out working, maybe a month before he’d formed the Fabulous Killjoys with the rest of the guys, his good friends from before, and maybe 2 years before he’d found me. I knew I was the closest thing to a kid he’d had since the bombings, and he was the closest thing I’d ever had to a father. They all shared the role, but Ghoul had found me, named me and saved my ass numerous times. I’d done the same for him, but hey, who’s counting?

After a few minutes, Ghoul released me. We both stood, facing each other. “Look, this mission’s huge. It could change this whole crazy war in our favor. This isn’t just about us anymore, Terror. We need you.” He looked at me seriously. “Hey, if this goes well, I’ll talk to Party, and who knows, maybe he’ll let you come with us.” My face lit up, causing him to chuckle. “I know they’ve missed you just as much as I have. You just need to do this one from here, okay?”

I sighed. “Okay.” I hugged him, realizing just how much taller I was than him.

“What did you do to your hair, knucklehead?” He picked out my lime-green streaks.

“How about you, huh? Yours is just a bit more drastic, don’t ‘cha think?” I rubbed his head.

“The second that Drac called me ‘Miss’ we all knew it was all coming off.” He rubbed his head and grinned at me as we walked back into the warehouse kitchen.

“Well, you always were the feminine one.” I teased as he held he door for me.

“No, that’s that redheaded dude over there.” Ghoul pointed across the room to Party.

“What about me?” Party looked up.

“Terror, you came back!” Kobra hugged me again.

“Of course she came back, moron, we’re her family.” Jet Star hugged me.

“Moron, huh?” Kobra crossed his arms.

“We need to talk, man.” I looked over to see Ghoul and Party talking in hushed tones. Party looked up at me and, seeing me watching, moved to the table to sit down. We all did the same, Jet Star and Kobra still bickering.

“Okay, come here.” I stood and walked to the other end of the table, the rest of the guys pulling their chairs in closer, trying to see the papers Party was unrolling.

“We have new information on this project they keep advertising all over the city.” Party’s voice dropped to a whisper. While we trusted most Killjoys, we still couldn’t be too careful. "From what we can tell, they're planning some sort of ray."

"Ray? Why's that a big deal?" I looked down at the papers to see a tall structure like the skeletons of old cell phone towers we'd seen in abandoned suburbs. "We've dealt with those before."

"Not like this." Party pointed to the core of the structure. "The electron reactor in the middle transmits a signal that modifies the wavelength of certain brainwaves in humans, causing free will, independence and creativity to become undesirable."

"Just like the pill." I said quietly.

"Worse." Party took out a stack of papers and placed them on the table next to the map. "This can be broadcast over all the Zones. It has a 98% success rate on citizens, 99% on Dracs, and 95% on Killjoys."

"They've already tested it on Killjoys, not to mention other people?!" I inhaled sharply. "These bastards make me sick."

"It would make the Pills obsolete." Jet Star shuffled through the studies. "They could even bend Killjoys to their will."

"This is like nothing we've ever dealt with before." Ghoul studied the schematics before looking up at Party. "We need to stop this thing."

"How in the Holy Hannah are we supposed to do that?" I looked at Party.

"Seek and destroy. Simple as that." Party leaned over the schematics. "Show her, Kobra."

"The electron reactor right here," Kobra pointed to the tower's center, "is connected to the super computer in BLI headquarters in the middle of the city. From there, you can program the whole thing, if you can get into the system. The hard part, of course," He pushed his glasses back up on his nose, shuffling the schematics around to find a diagram of the headquarters, "is getting into this thing. It's fortified like a castle with more Dracs than a Pill party with lots of reason to take you out." Kobra pointed to a room on the top floor in the very center. "The computer's up here. You'd have about an hour to get up there and fry this sucker while we divert the attention of all the other Dracs." Kobra and the others grinned at each other.

"We want to send someone with you, too." Party said, grabbing a file out of his backpack.

"Not a chance." I shook my head. "This is a solo job, Party, and someone else will just slow me down."

"Well there's no way in Hell I'm sending you into the middle of the top BLI headquarters in Battery City by yourself!" Party glared at me.

"There's no way I'm taking some moron in with me!" I put my hands on my hips, glaring indignantly. "Especially someone I don't know and haven't trained with. This needs to be done right, Party, and I'm not risking someone else."

"But-" Party started.

"No."

"Come on, Terror-" Ghoul tried to reason with me

"Not a chance. I'm good by myself, guys, really. If you don't believe me, then, well, I just won't do it." I crossed my arms over my chest, looking firm.

"Damn you and your independence." Party looked from me to Ghoul. "I think she's got us beat. Fine. You'll go in by yourself." I cheered as Ghoul sputtered, outraged. "But," Party held up one hand, "if there's even the slightest bit of trouble, we'll send this guy in after you, got it?" Party smacked the folder on the table.

"Got it, chief." I grinned. "I can do this."

"Great. We'll discuss details later." Party nodded to me.

"Awesome. Now, about this car I... ahem... found yesterday..."